Week #21 - Chicken Noodle Soup and Corn Casserole

This was supposed to be Turkey Noodle Soup, but I could not find turkey meat for soup without buying a whole turkey. I made this for my family's Thanksgiving lunch but I used chicken instead. I used this recipe from myrecipes.com.

Ingredients

• Cooking spray 
• 1 cup (1/4-inch-thick) slices carrot 
• 3/4 cup chopped onion 
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup (1/4-inch-thick) slices celery 
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 
• 6 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth 
• 2 cups (3 ounces) uncooked egg noodles
• 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 cups shredded turkey (about 8 ounces)
• Coarsely ground black pepper (optional) 

Preparation

• Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add carrot, onion, and garlic; sauté 5 minutes or until onion is lightly browned. Add celery, salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; sauté 3 minutes. Add broth and next 3 ingredients (through bay leaf); bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Add shredded turkey; cook 3 minutes. Discard bay leaf. Sprinkle with coarsely ground black pepper, if desired.

It turned out really good, and everyone was impressed by my cooking.

Rating: 4.5/5


I also made corn casserole. I originally got the recipe from my friend, but I lost it, so I looked up another one online. I found this one on cooks.com.

  1 can whole kernel yellow corn, undrained

1 can cream style yellow corn
1 (8 oz.) carton sour cream
2 eggs, beaten
1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix
1 stick butter, melted

Mix all together and pour into large, lightly oiled casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 55 to 60 minutes.

 

It's on the plate in the back.

At first I thought it turned out not sweet enough, but once I had some more it was really good.

Week #20 - Olive Garden Style Zuppa Toscana Soup

I was thinking of how much I love soup, salad, and breadsticks at Olive Garden so I decided to try making Zuppa Toscana soup. I found this recipe on Food.com.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb Italian sausage (I like mild sausage)
• 2 large russet baking potatoes, sliced in half, and then in 1/4 inch slices
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup bacon bit (optional)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cups kale or 2 cups swiss chard, chopped
• 2 (8 ounce) cans chicken broth
• 1 quart water
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream

 

Directions:

1. Chop or slice uncooked sausage into small pieces.
2. Brown sausage in your soup pot.
3. Add chicken broth and water to pot and stir.
4. Place onions, potatoes, and garlic in pot.
5. Cook on medium heat until potatoes are done.
6. Add sausage and bacon.
7. Salt and pepper to taste.
8. Simmer for another 10 minutes.
9. Turn to low heat.
10. Add kale and cream.
11. Heat through and serve.

 

This soup was almost exactly like Olive Garden's! I omitted the bacon and I sauted the onions with the sausage first, but otherwise I followed the recipe. This soup was so good! I will definitely make it again, especially if I get my hands on some Olive Garden salad dressing.

Rating: 5/5

Week #18 - Ham and Bean Soup

My husband told me I needed more beans in my soup. So I found this recipe at BigOven.

Ingredients [ View Metric ]

	3/4 poundFully cooked ham; cubed
	1 mediumOnion
	2 clovesGarlic
	2 tablespoonsButter
	2 16-oz cansGreat Northern Beans; rinsed and; drained
	3 cupsChicken broth
	2 cupsWater
	1 cupPotatoes; peeled, diced
	3/4 cupCarrots; diced
	3/4 cupCelery
	1/4 teaspoonPepper
	1/2 cupFrozen peas
	2 tablespoonsFresh parsley; minced

How to Prepare Best Ham and Bean Soup

In a 3 quart saucepan, saute ham, onion and garlic in butter until onion is tender.
Add the next seven ingredients; cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
Add peas and cook for 5 minutes. Add parsley and serve.

This soup was really good. I omitted the peas, but everything else was the same. It was really easy to make, and my husband approved.

Rating: 4/5